Tidal Waves
by out-foxed
Summary: Methos finds a girl with an unusual quickening.
1. First Meeting

Disclaimer : You guys know the drill. I don't own Highlander

Just the character(s) I created…..yada yada yada don't sue  
//thoughts//  
*emphasis*  
"speech"  
I think that should cover most of them  


Chapter 1

Adam Pierson sat in his office going over some of the graduate term papers. Some were pretty interesting considering the information they had available about the cultures in question. He sighed. As Methos, the oldest Immortal, he knew that some of these papers were dead wrong but he couldn't fault the students for incomplete information. They hadn't been there. Another email popped up on his computer. They had been slowly trickling in throughout the day, messages from the first year class that the dean had asked him to fill in for. God he wasn't looking forward to that week. No matter how hard they tried, first year papers were generally on the same topics.

//Maybe I can push most of them off to the TAs,// Adam thought as he began to open messages. He had given the class the task of writing a paper about a myth. They could take it any way they want to but the basis has to be in mythology. By leaving it that open he was hoping that there would be enough variety to keep him interested when marking their assignments. The first three were all pretty similar: Greek mythology's impact on culture, Greek mythology's impact on literature, Roman religion and myth in today's society. Methos groaned. Maybe he could go on vacation the week they handed in their assignments. Adam opened the next message and raised and eyebrow. This one sounded interesting.

Hey Dr. Pierson

Just letting you know about my topic for the essay. I want to write about the myth of Immortals, and before you say anything, I know it is a broad topic so I am narrowing it down to the non-gods. Just the Immortals with no other power except the long life of course :)

Anyway, I wanted to take the stance that they exist either the way they are depicted or as just an exaggeration of some actual people. I think it'd be kinda cool, but I might have to ask for a bit of an extension. I'm having some probs getting some info from the gov. 

BTW your link on the web on where we can pick up our quizzes is missing. I was hoping to pick mine up this week.

Kira Shinomori

Methos reread the email. //What is she trying to get from the government?// He thought. //If it's census reports she's going to be out of luck….Immortals know how to hide themselves. Well there's only one way to find out.//

Kira

The quizzes are in my office. You can come pick yours up during my office hours. Your topic sounds interesting but I am worried about the amount of information you'll need to get. I'd like to go over your topic with you first.

Adam Pierson.

Methos sent off his reply and leaned back into his chair. //I really should get to marking those graduate papers,// he thought.

*************

Adam was sitting in his office staring out the window. //I hate Friday.// He began to spin in his chair. Why did he have to have office hours on a Friday afternoon? No one came. Hell, the majority of students skipped their Friday classes altogether. He glanced at the clock. It read only a minute later than the last time he looked. He glared at the infernal thing. //I just can't understand it. I can remember decades passing by more quickly than this.// Suddenly he heard a chuckle at the door.

"I can tell you, from experience, that never works."

Methos jumped. He hadn't heard anyone coming down the hall. Looking up he saw a girl leaning against the doorframe. She was average height with her brunette hair done up in a single braid that travelled down to the small of her back. But what Methos found really surprising was her eyes. They were an ocean green flecked with gold.

"What never works?" Methos asked giving himself a mental shake. 

"Checking the time every few seconds. I have this one prof. who speaks in this monotone and makes his one hour class seem 3 hours long."

Methos chuckled. He knew what professor she was talking about. "So what do you do?" 

She smiled. "Well you'd be surprised how much fun a digital camera and some photo editing programs can be."

Methos laughed. "So what can I do for you Miss……?"

She blushed. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm Kira Shinomori," she said finally stepping into the room. 

That's when he felt it, an immortal buzz. He paused. //No, she's not Immortal. I would guess that she's pre-Immortal but her quickening feels off.// As he sat there he could feel her quickening fluctuating. He doubted anyone other than him would be able to sense her but this sense was putting him of balance.

On the other side of the desk, Kira continued to talk. "I was hoping to pick up my quiz today and maybe go over my assignment if you weren't to busy, Professor."

"Call me Adam," he said going through the quizzes on his desk.

"Call you Adam? But that seems so disrespectful."

Methos chuckled. "But Professor makes me feel so old," he whined passing Kira's quiz to her.

Kira laughed. "God you sound just like a two year old, but then again, I guess that's what you get for being the baby of the faculty."

Methos smiled. She was good. "So Kira, your topic. I'm worried about the amount of information you'll be able to get," he stated.

"Actually, I found this story in an old journal I found. Actually the book was one of my impulse buys and I had a friend's brother translate for me a couple summers ago."

"Really? What language was it in?"

"Ancient Greek. Any way it told the story of how this one guy lived for 200 years. He went around cutting people's heads off and he eventually died the same way. What happened in these fights was that the winner would like absorb the losers soul and call down lightning." 

Methos froze. Could she have one of the Watcher Chronicles? "But that is just one story." he stated trying to feel out her argument.

Kira smiled. "Actually, if I use this story as the basis of what defines this type of immortality, I could use the story of Zeus, cause he controls lightning, and how he killed his father through a beheading as backup."

Methos looked at her. Although he knew that there was no immortal that that myth was based on he could not refute her association. "Ok, but you also said you were going to try and prove that these immortal existed. How exactly?" he asked curious about her response.

"That's why I might need an extension. I've been talking to some police divisions about beheadings in Europe and the US but only a few have got back to me so far."

"Really?" Methos was surprised. The way she was going about this, she might actually turn up something. "Where are you looking?"

"Mostly the large cities, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Rome. In the US I'm looking in New York, LA Seattle. Actually Seattle mentioned that I might want to look in a town called Seacouver. It seems they have had some beheadings over the last 25 years."

Methos looked at her. With this amount of information, he could not tell her to find another topic without raising her suspicions. But She was going to find something. He paused. She already was a pre-Immortal, this would just expose her to it a little earlier than most. "Seems you've been working on this for a while."

"Off and on for about a year and a half. My parents used to encourage it so it would get me out of their hair."

"Used to?" Methos asked sensing something behind the words.

"They died almost a year ago," Kira said sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok, actually this is one of the things I remember most about them. My mom was a lawyer and my dad was a doctor. I began to read their stuff a few years back when I got bored and began to question what was in their journals. Eventually they got tired of answering and told me to present my arguments as though it were a case. Proof for everything I say. If I couldn't understand then they would help me." Kira smiled. "I guess I have them to thank now."

Methos quirked an eyebrow not sure of where her train of thought was going.

"Well everyone is stressing over finding research and here I am making it more difficult for myself."

Methos chuckled. He had heard some of the students stressing over their assignments already. Suddenly he felt an approaching Immortal. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 5pm which would mean that the Immortal would be MacLeod coming to find him after Methos missed their lunch plans. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up so much time."

"It's ok, Kira. I think I'm going to give you an extension. Think two weeks is enough?" At her nod he continued. "Good. I'd love to continue chatting unfortunately I'm supposed to meet someone."

"No problem," Kira said getting up. "Thanks for the extension. See you in class," she said as she went out the door passing by MacLeod and Joe. Methos watched he go with a thoughtful expression.

Mac looked between the student and his friend and smiled. "So Adam. Forget lunch? Must have been an engaging conversation," said Joe.

Methos looked at Joe. "Do you know who she is?"

"No why?" replied the bartender.

"I'm wondering if the Watchers are keeping an eye on her. She's halfway there to proving Immortals exist."

"What? How?" asked Mac shocked.

"Well she's in the mythology class I'm teaching and they have a paper due in two months on an aspect if myth. She decided she wanted to prove the myth of Immortals is actually true. As far as I can tell, she hasn't seen anything. This is purely an intellectual pursuit," Methos replied.

"You told them about Immortals in lecture?"

"Don't be stupid MacLeod," Methos said angrily. "She said she found some reference to us in an old Greek text that she found someone to translate. My guess is she found a Chronicle. And is trying to tie it to the beheadings that have been happening recently."

"Why I she trying to tie it to today?" asked Joe confused.

"It's a first year course," replied Methos.

Joe still didn't understand.

"She's trying to be original," said Mac. "That way the marker will remember her in the larger class."

Joe chuckled. "Well she certainly got your attention. Do you want me to check her out?"

Methos nodded. "We're going to have to keep an eye on her."

A/N To be continued…..


	2. Wave Breaking

A/N I have no idea where I am going with this fic…so if anyone has any suggestions please email me out_foxed@yahoo.com Otherwise we'll just see what happens. I know this chapter is not as long as the first but it was the best place to stop. As for my reviewers :) thanks for the positive feedback…..and blackblade……I'm using the term quickening for both the event and her 'buzz'/energy…hope that clears everything up a little better

Chapter 2

A Few Weeks Later - Joe's Bar

Methos sat at the end of the bar watching as Mac and Joe closed up the place for the night. Mac was just escorting the last person out while Joe was talking on the phone. 

"The council finally got back to me about your kid," Joe stated as he hung up. Methos just raised an eyebrow. "She's 20 by the way. Her parents died in a car accident when she was a just few weeks shy of 18. No other relatives."

"So where is she getting the money to go to school?" asked Mac.

"School is covered through scholarships, and her parents left her enough that she can live comfortably until she's about 30. "

Methos nodded, he had already known this from when he checked her out himself. 

"There is a slight problem though," Joe said nervously. "She tripped some alarms when she went digging into the Paris and Seacouver police files and now Falkin and Gavin are looking for her."

Methos frowned. Brandon Falkin and Curtis Gavin were notorious for hunting mortals who learned about their kind. The fact that she was pre-immortal wouldn't stop them either. They were able to pick these people off pretty easily with their connections in the FBI and CIA. 

"Will the Watchers pick her up?" asked Mac.

"They're trying, except Falkin and Gavin are already here looking for her. They've been here for a few days and the council is just getting back to me now," responded Joe angrily.

"Well they are going to have a little trouble finding her," said Methos. "With it being reading week who knows where she'll be. I'm just glad they can't sense her."

Joe and Mac looked at him questioningly. Methos just sighed. "She's a pre-immortal. But you can't sense her unless you are standing right next to her for a few minutes. That's why the Highlander here didn't feel her when she walked by him in the hall."

"I've never heard of anything like that before," said Mac.

"Neither have I," Adam replied. 

"Sounds like you want to keep an eye on her," Joe smiled.

"With two head hunters on the way, you've got to be joking."

Suddenly Joe saw Mac and Methos stiffen at the feeling of another immortal. MacLeod began to reach inside his jacket and pull out his sword when the door burst open. Joe watched in horror as a girl stumbled towards them clutching her head. Her clothes were shredded and practically dripping with blood, yet beneath it all, he could still see gashes healing all over her body. She looked up and froze at the sight of MacLeod's katana. 

"Kira?" Methos said in shock when he finally saw the girl's face. 

She didn't respond. Behind her the door opened and revealed Curtis Gavin. Seeing herself cornered, Kira collapsed into a foetal position and screamed. At the end of the bar, Methos felt her quickening fold in on itself. Without thinking he jumped over the bar and knocked Joe to the ground just as Kira's power exploded. He covered Joe's body with his own as the world around him shattered. Glass and alcohol rained down on them as a powerful wave shook the foundation. From beneath Methos, Joe saw Mac flung across the bar and pinned against the wall. He watched on in fear as Mac screamed in pain, his chest slowly caving as his rib cage broke under the pressure. Suddenly the storm stopped and Mac fell to the floor dead. The silence was deafening.

"Don't move," Methos said as he crawled off of Joe. He glanced out from behind the bar. "Looks like she passed out. Come on Joe. We have to get them out of here."

After helping Joe to his feet, Adam grabbed MacLeod and carried him outside. Joe just looked at his bar. The tables were in splinters and the windows were completely blown out. Looking to the door he almost threw up. Hanging about four feet off the ground with a chair leg through the stomach was Gavin.

//That could have been me. To think that one kid could cause so much damage.//

"Joe we have to go before the cops get here," said Methos quietly as he walked back into the bar. He knelt and began to look over Kira's form. Lightly brushing his fingertips across her temple he nodded satisfied. "Come on Joe," Methos repeated as he picked up Kira and carried her out of the bar. Joe numbly followed.

"What are we going to do, Methos?"

"Just head to Mac's. I'll think of something."

A/N to be continued…….


	3. Sand Dunes

A/N Please keep reviewing! 

Chapter 3

Hours later found Kira still passed out on MacLeod's couch with the two older Immortals sitting across from her. Joe was impatiently waiting downstairs for her to wake up. 

            "We should have Cassandra teach her," said Mac breaking the silence. 

            "Maybe," said Methos distractedly.

            "What do you mean 'maybe'? You saw her power. I can't teach her anything about that. I haven't even seen anything like that."         

            //You haven't, but I have,// thought Methos. //It was many years ago, just before I joined the ranks of the Horsemen. The Immortal had been old, probably older than I am now.//

*Flashback*

            "Now Methos, if you ever become old enough you will want to know how to shield your energy. You already know that a quickening can reveal information about your apponent but you don't want your opponent reading your weaknesses from you."

           Methos nodded. The man's name was Garok, one of the most powerful Immortals in the world. Due to his great age, he had learned to manipulate his quickening until it became a type of magic. He could call his sword to him, influence the way people thought. He could even read their minds. To Garok, Methos was an open book. His quickening was raw with the power of youth and practically screamed for attention. It had gotten to the point where Methos' quickening was becoming an annoyance, much like a fly that just wouldn't stop flying in your face.  

            Methos and Garok were sitting on a cliff over looking the desert. Garok knew that the sound of the wind against the sand dunes had a soothing effect on the child.

            "Now close your eyes and find your centre. Find your source of power." Garok smiled as he watched Methos do as he asked. It had taken the child almost a year to learn how to do this but unlike past students, he had not given up. Garok had been surprised at the time. He was extremely talented for one so young. "Now do you see your center? Do you see how the lightning is reaching out?"

            "Yes."

            "That is what alerts you to others of our kind. The longer the reach of the lightning, the sooner the immortal senses you. As you become older, the reach becomes longer. To stop this you need to build a wall."

*End Flashback*

            Methos smiled. Those had been good times. He had stayed with Garok for almost a decade learning how to manipulate his quickening, but even he knew that he could not use most of Garok's teachings until he was much older. Methos looked inside himself. He could still see the shield on his quickening. The control of that had become instinctive over the years, so instinctive that he had actually forgotten about it until today.

            Too bad, Garok wasn't around anymore. He would have been the perfect teacher for Kira. Unfortunately, he had lost his head during a skirmish with a neighboring village. Methos had been fighting alongside him at the time. Garok had been so focused on stopping the invading forces he did not pay attention to the mortal behind him. Methos had seen the assassin raise his sword but was too far away to stop the tragedy. The ancient's quickening rose above the town like a fog before it settled on Methos. What followed was the largest quickening he ever experienced. Not even the double quickening with MacLeod could compare. 

            //But that would make me the most qualified to teach her,// Methos thought. //Cassandra is talented, but her strengths are in basic mind control and dream seeing. She won't be able to handle Kira if she gets out of control.//

            Methos glanced at MacLeod. The problem with him becoming her teacher was that he had forgotten many of Garok's lessons. He remembered writing most of them down but those journals were buried somewhere in Egypt. He would have to search them out first. "I'll find someone to teach her MacLeod, don't worry about it."

            "What's wrong with Cassandra?"

            "She won't be able to contain her power if it gets out of control." MacLeod looked at him skeptically. "Trust me." Methos glanced at Kira. "She's about to wake up." 

            "How can you tell?"

            "A hunch," Methos replied as he felt Kira's quicking begin to spike.

            A few moments later Kira slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "Ow my head. God, I promise to never drink again."  

            Methos chuckled. "That wouldn't be good."

            Kira started. "Adam? What are you doing-" Kira paused and looked around. "Rephrase that. What am I doing here?"

            "You passed out at Joe's."

            "Really? So you brought me home? You know this isn't the kind of place I pictured you'd live in."

            "Actually this is his place," Methos smiled pointing to MacLeod. "He's going to help you out."

            "With what?" Kira asked suspiciously looking at Mac.

            "Do you remember what happened last night?" asked Mac.

            Methos could almost see her mind shy away from that topic.

            "I got drunk, passed out and had a really really really bad dream?" Kira asked hopefully.

            Mac's face fell. He did not like to break new Immortals to their first death. Before he could say a word Kira curled up, bringing her knees up to her chin.

            "It's not true. It's not real. I'm supposed to be dead!" she began to mutter. Methos felt her quickening begin to close in on itself. Before it could be unleashed he wrapped his arms around her and reached out with his quickening. With his inner eye he watched as his power surrounded them both, absorbing the raging storm inside her. Watching from the outside he began to get flashes of what happened. A sword, an alleyway, Gavin, pain. Fear.

            Methos looked over to MacLeod. "Get Joe."

            "No. You saw what she did to the bar. She might do it again," Mac protested.

            "I've got it under control. Get Joe. She'll react better around him," Methos ordered before turning his attention back to the girl in his arms. He could feel the images become more ordered in her mind. He held her close as she began to relive the last few moments of her life.

            Joe walked calmly up to Methos. He was surprised. The old Immortal didn't seem to realize he was there. He took the chance to look at Kira. She was curled up on Methos' lap and holding onto him as though he were a lifeline. She wasn't reacting to anything.

            "What's wrong with her?" asked Joe softly.

            "Gavin tortured her," replied Methos. "He thought she was mortal so he wanted to find out how she learned about us. He cornered her in an alley and used his sword to get information. When he realized she was pre-immortal he decided to get creative. Now she's trying to deal with it." Mac looked a little nervous. Methos snorted. "Don't worry MacLeod. I'm not going to ask you to teach her. You may have some good techniques but you have no idea how to handle trauma."

            "So who's going to teach her? Amanda?"

            "No. I'm thinking it's about time you introduced me to your Clansman."

            Mac tensed. He didn't want to introduce Methos to his cousin.

            Methos' eyes began to harden, when Kira suddenly spoke up.

            "Why don't you trust him? He's let you live your own life for years and only interfering when absolutely necessary. He's saved you countless times and yet you still don't trust him?" Kira sneered. "And you call yourself his friend."

            Kira felt something inside of her surge. The feeling she had about MacLeod suddenly intensified. She could practically see the way he was reacting to her statements. That's when she realized it. He was young, from a maturity standpoint anyway. He still classified everything in black and white and had trouble seeing the grey; especially in himself. As a teacher, she could see he was one of the best, for he would see the failure of a student as a failure in himself. That was when she saw his largest flaw. He would never treat her as an equal. His chivalrous attitude would make allowanced for her that he would never allow in a male student. He would be able to teach her the basics but after that she would need to go somewhere else. She looked at Adam and her eyes widened. He was old. He had experienced all sides of life and was still here to tell about it. Her power faded out before she could get a full reading and she looked up at Adam questioningly.

             Methos looked at her in respect. //I wasn't able to do that for centuries,// he thought.

            "This is getting annoying," Kira said referring to her powers.

            Methos chuckled. "I'm going to help you with that, but I want you to learn the basics first. Besides he's better at sword work than I am."

            The moment he said that, Methos knew she didn't believe him. Before she could say anything, he clumsily formed a link and shoved             his reasons into her mind. He trusted her not to reveal anything she might have learned to MacLeod. He felt her tense as the information first entered her mind. Moments later she sent back a feeling of confusion over the link followed by understanding as she sorted out the information. 

            //An empath too?// thought Methos.

            The exchange did not go unnoticed. Joe had seen the way their bodies were reacting. They were communicating; he knew that for sure, but how? Then it hit him. If Kira's quickening could manifest itself into a telekinetic force, why not a telepathic one as well? He was definitely going to be keeping an eye on this Immortal.

            "So Macleod here can teach you the basics until his cousin shows up," Methos said glancing at Mac. 

            "Alright. So when do we start training?" Kira asked happily shoving her worries to the back of her mind.

            "How about tomorrow? You and I can go through some steps and we can see where your strengths lie," replied MacLeod.

            Kira smiled.

            "I have a feeling she's going to surprise us," Methos whispered to Joe.

A/N  To be continued.


End file.
